Early Voting Can Bring More Pro-Lifers to the Polls

By Liz Townsend

The goal is clear: get as many pro-lifers as possible to cast their votes for candidates who respect life. In most states, this means making sure people get to the polls on one day, November 7.

But some states give voters the option of choosing another day as Election Day, allowing them to vote at a time that fits into their own schedules.

One option is called "early voting," in which voting machines are available at county clerks' offices or other official locations for voters to come in person and cast their ballots as early as two weeks before Election Day.

Early voting in person is available in Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

"It's real handy, especially for the elderly and others who may have a hard time getting to the polls on a certain day," Rose Mimms, executive director of Arkansas Right to Life, told NRL News. "They can avoid long lines or bad weather on Election Day."

Early voting in Arkansas begins on October 23 at each county clerk's office and ends November 6. Mimms said that the state advertises the availability of early voting, so most voters are aware that it is an option.

Pro-lifers working to educate the public about the candidates' positions on life issues and to get out the vote in these states need to readjust their schedules so that early voters are not overlooked. "We'll make sure we get our voter guide out before early voting starts," Mimms said.

Early voting is one of several attempts to increase voter turnout by letting voters choose how and when to vote. All states allow absentee voting, but most have regulations that limit which voters can receive an absentee ballot, such as those who will be absent from the county on Election Day and the sick or physically disabled.

However, in some states, any registered voter can receive an absentee ballot by mail, even if he or she will be present on Election Day and simply feels it would be more convenient.

Oregon has gone the farthest of any state in trying to ensure high voter turnout. It will be the first state to conduct a presidential election by mail, sending a voting packet to each registered voter. The ballots will be mailed between October 20 and 24 to all voters registered by October 17. Voters will mark their selections, sign the ballots, and return them to the county elections offices by mail or in person.To find out about a certain state's voting regulations, contact your state or county Board of Elections by phone or on the Internet. The Internet is also a convenient place to find voter registration forms, absentee ballot applications, and specific details about where and how to vote.

No matter how the ballots are cast, pro-lifers need to make sure each and every friend of the unborn casts a vote for life in the 2000 election. In addition to education about the positions of each candidate, right to lifers should educate voters about their state's election procedures so that each pro-life vote is counted.

Paid for by the NRL Political Action Committee. Not Authorized by any candidate.